Capitol Insider: Breath-test data: possible but pricey

Sunday

Jan 4, 2015 at 12:01 AMJan 4, 2015 at 4:29 PM

No, it wasn't impossible, but it was expensive. Until an Ohio Supreme Court ruling forced their hand, Ohio Department of Health officials insisted it would be a near-technological and financial impossibility to turn over previous results from alcohol-breath-testing machines.

No, it wasn’t impossible, but it was expensive.

Until an Ohio Supreme Court ruling forced their hand, Ohio Department of Health officials insisted it would be a near-technological and financial impossibility to turn over previous results from alcohol-breath-testing machines.

But, once the court ordered previous test results from Intoxilyzer 8000s turned over to lawyers representing DUI suspects, to potentially allow them to challenge the accuracy of their clients’ tests, health officials finally found a way.

Agency IT employees put together a system to export historical data from its DUI testing database in about a month, according to documents.

DUI-specialty lawyers long contended that state officials refused to turn over data because they feared it would prove the Intoxilyzer 8000 breath testers they deployed to police — with the notable exception of Franklin County — are largely inaccurate.

State lawmakers will return to Columbus on Monday for swearing-in ceremonies for the 131st General Assembly.

The Ohio Senate gets into action first, swearing in members and leadership at 1:30 p.m. in the Senate chambers at the Statehouse. The House members and leaders, including new Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville, will be sworn in beginning at 2 p.m. in the House chambers.

At 4:30 p.m., all 132 members of both bodies will meet jointly in the House chambers to officially approve the final tally of the 2014 general election.

Most of the first week of the legislative session generally involves organizational matters, such as committee appointments, before settling down to real business, which will begin in earnest in early February when Gov. John Kasich submits his two-year budget.

For Ohio Democrats, Jan. 1 signals not only the beginning of the new year, but also the beginning of the end of the long wait to see what city will host the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Columbus is one of three cities still in contention for the convention, facing Brooklyn and Philadelphia. If Columbus prevails, it’ll be the first time the city has hosted a major-party nominating convention and the first time Democrats have held their convention in Ohio since Cincinnati in 1880.

“I know people are saying this may be positioning for future conventions, but I think Columbus is getting very serious consideration because of how impressive the community came together for the DNC visits,” Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, told Dispatch Reporter Jessica Wehrman.

Democratic National Committee officials have demurred on when they’ll make an announcement, but state officials feel confident they’ll hear something by February, when the DNC has its winter meeting in Washington, D.C. The Republican National Committee already has selected Cleveland for its 2016 convention.

Some say Columbus has an obvious political advantage over Brooklyn. “Being in New York — what’s the plus of that?” said Larry Sabato, a political-science professor at the University of Virginia. “ It’s automatic for Hillary; New Jersey is automatic for Hillary. In Ohio, I think Ohioans would be delighted and proud of both conventions having been held there.”

drowland@dispatch.com

@OhioPoliticsNow

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